I just got my new JCW about 3 weeks ago. I have been waiting for scheduling/money to finish out my stripes and get a clear bra put on. I was somewhat waiting for that to get finished before giving it a thorough wash/wax.

About 4-5 days ago i noticed what I thought was bird crap on my driver side front fender. That night I took a tee shirt as I try to get the bird crap off right away but this stuff was not coming off. I tried car soap and water hot and cold nothing was budging this gunk. It almost seems like glue or rubber. Any recommendations on what I can use to get this off I really don't want to cause damage trying to remove this.

Thanks in advance for the help. I tried to search around but didnt see anything like this so if its right in front of my face please except my apologies.

 

A t-shirt.

You could try and lay a soapy towel on the area, and leave it there for 10 minutes or so, and see if that will soften it. Tar/bug removers are available at most auto type stores, that may work. Alcohol mixed 50/50 with water gets lots of unknown crap off. But the best thing may be to get a clay bar and bottle of lube, sold together at most auto stores.

Mark

 

I would recommend everything that lotsie said above too. (and I too at the thought of using a t-shirt on your MINI! Use something plush and non-scratching, like high quality microfiber )

After you've tried the above tricks, you may find that the residue is still there. This is because bird droppings can be quite acidic and corrosive... some droppings more than others. It usually helps considerably when you remove it right away (read: before it has a chance to eat into the paint); however, sometimes even prompt removal just isn't fast enough for some droppings.

That said, even in the worst cases you can remove much of the residue and will be left with what we often refer to as a ghost (because it sort of looks like a faint, whitish ghost).

If the above initial tricks don't work to remove at least much of the residue, you will probably have to abrade the paint with an abrasive polish (i.e. Prima Swirl)to remove the etching left behind (or at least as much of the etching as you can).

So, just take it one step at a time, moving up in aggression as you go. Good luck!!

-Heather

 

thanks folks! and I understand the concern on the shirt. Normally its a quick swipe after work on and bird crap that may be on the car from the ride home just to make sure it isn't sitting there until the next wash. This spot wasnt moving though so I just stopped and looked for advice.

I took the car in this afternoon to have a clear bra installed at a local shop. The guy doing the install took the clay bar across the spot and still had issues getting rid of this stuff. It is mostly gone now but there is still some trace marks from the spot. He seemed to think it was sap and was fairly confident it wasn't bird gunk. I have to let the car be for a few days to let the bra completly dry but then im going to get it a hand wash with a t-shirt (just kidding ) and see how the spot turns out.

Thanks for the support guys. now that the stripes and bra are finally done its time to decide on a regular cleaning regimen.